On the surface, twenty-two year old Cole Morgan is exactly what any girl would be proud to take home to meet her parents: He’s charming, intensely handsome and goal-oriented...Only he has some secrets of his own, which include provoking bar fights and a former drug-addict of a mother slowly wasting away in a medical facility.

At barely twenty, Violet Lynn is Country Music's hottest star, until one night of partying gets out of control. Violet ends up in jail and on TMZ. Suddenly, she’s the girl least likely to be invited anywhere. Sick of the drama and keeping secrets, she runs away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi to her grandmother’s home in Forrestville, North Carolina.

A chance meeting knocks Cole off his feet, but he doesn’t recognize Violet for who she is. In fact no one does and Violet plans to keep it that way.

Nationally Bestselling Author, , writes small town romances that are anything but small. Lisa Kleypas, Carly Phillips and Rachel Gibson are her favorite contemporary authors. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man -- and if that doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.

Can a country singer on a self-imposed exile from the business heal her wounds from a tragic night? Can a tough bad boy with a slew of responsibilities let himself hope for a future and the ability to truly feel love? In Live For You, Rae is taking a respite from being Violet Lynn, country music star, while she hides away at her grandmother's home to deal with her interior and exterior scars from the car accident which publicly shamed her. Cole is the man of his family, running the bar with his younger brother, Parker, while both share the responsibilities of caring for their much younger sister while their mom tries to sober up in rehab. Rae and Cole meet and sparks fly. Both are amazed at the intense connection they share, while grasping to stay afloat and see where this attraction takes them.

Rae and Cole are intensely likable characters. She blames herself for her actions leading up to her DWI, he still loves his mother despite her apparent hatred of him. While we are able to see the animosity from his mom in a scene, I would have liked to see their conflict intensify. Rae's tragedy is revealed through flashback snippets, but I felt there was a lot more to that night than inferred. Depth is what I craved as I witnessed two strangers become flirty friends then lovers. The secondary characters were an interesting lot, from the strange relationship between Wyatt and Lacey, to the friends Cole makes (the fighting business) and his brother Parker. Again, not much was revealed, especially with Wyatt and Lacey so I surmise they may be featured in their own story in this series.

The story was well-paced, the dialogue believable. Cole and Rae had some memorable lines and introspection which cemented my fondness for them as both individuals and as a couple. The author conveyed such tenderness from the actions of these two which was genuine. Their pain was heartfelt and motivations admirable. Simple things like Rae picking up Cole's sister from school or Cole getting a tattoo with special meaning injected realism and heart into this contemporary romance. Not all romances that I read are romantic. Live For You was extremely romantic and touching.

I felt cheated by the quick ending, expecting a big scene between Rae and her ex-boyfriend when he came to town. When those plans abruptly changed, I hoped for a performance by Violet Lynn and didn't get it. My frustration only stems from my investment in these characters created by Marquita Valentine, an author instantly added to my list of favorites. Live For You made me a fan and I anxiously await the next Boys of the South title.

Rating: 3.5

1/2

Cover comment:

A typical pose in New Adult. Where are Rae's purple tips? Cole's cap or ear gauges?

Book source:

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.